Selections include more than $8.6 million for 13 hydropower technical assistance projects and nearly $25 million for 25 hydropower and marine energy research and development projects at six DOE national laboratories.
Hydropower and Hydrokinetic Office
October 4, 2024
minute read time
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) announced more than $33 million in projects to advance hydropower and marine energy. These selections include more than $8.6 million for 13 hydropower technical assistance projects through the HydroWIRES Initiative and nearly $25 million for 25 hydropower and marine energy research and development projects at six DOE national laboratories.
Hydropower and marine energy technologies are predictable, reliable, and well-suited to help balance electricity grids with higher levels of variable renewable energy like wind energy and solar power. Hydropower plays a key role in ensuring electricity grids remain stable as they evolve to incorporate more variable renewable energy sources, ensuring communities have power when they need it. It currently accounts for 27% of U.S. utility-scale renewable electricity generation and nearly 6% of the country’s total utility-scale electricity generation.
Meanwhile, marine energy technologies—which capture energy from waves, tides, river and ocean currents, and temperature differences in water—can power remote and coastal communities, the growing blue economy, and U.S. electricity grids. The total available marine energy resource in the United States is equivalent to approximately 57% of all U.S. power generation. Even if only a small portion of this technical resource potential is captured, marine energy technologies would make significant contributions to U.S. energy needs.
HydroWIRES Technical Assistance Projects
These 13 technical assistance projects will provide hydropower developers and other stakeholders with DOE national laboratory expertise and capabilities to evaluate opportunities for hydropower hybrids and pumped storage hydropower (PSH).
Subject-matter experts from Argonne National Laboratory (Argonne), Idaho National Laboratory (INL), National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) will support these projects.
Hydropower hybrids combine conventional hydropower generation with another type of energy generation or storage. This topic area will help industry partners gain insight into potential values, locations, and operational considerations for hydropower hybrid systems.
A Multi-Objective Optimization Framework for Decision Support in Hybridizing Energy Northwest’s Packwood Hydro Facility
Energy Northwest will work with PNNL to assess the feasibility of installing solar panels over the canals at its Packwood Hydro facility in Washington. This project would produce solar-generated electricity, along with the existing hydro-generated power, while providing shade to decrease water temperature and reduce effects of hot water on aquatic life.
Assessing the Value of Co-Locating a Battery Energy Storage System with the Forks of Butte and Olsen Hydroelectric Facilities
Synergics Energy Services will work with Argonne and INL to study the benefits of hybridizing the Forks of Butte and Olsen run-of-river hydropower plants in California with battery energy storage systems. The team will also evaluate whether hybridizing can increase operational flexibility and efficiency. This project will explore the benefits and challenges of hydro hybridization with the goal of driving wider adoption and supporting increased clean energy integration into the electric grid.
Corral Summit Hydro Hybrid Evaluation
Cat Creek Energy will work with INL and PNNL to develop a hybrid setup that integrates PSH with floating solar and battery energy storage systems. The project will offer large-volume, long-duration energy storage, enhance grid stability, ensure a reliable energy supply, and offer a long-term solution for local energy generation in rural Idaho.
Exploring and Optimizing Value Streams for Hybridizing Grant County Public Utility District’s Wanapum and Priest Rapids Hydro Facilities
Grant County Public Utility District (PUD) will work with PNNL to evaluate hybridizing the Wanapum and Priest Rapids dams on the Columbia River with battery storage. The team will develop a custom framework for Grant PUD that outlines how to integrate the battery while reducing wear and tear on hydropower units. The successful implementation of this project is expected to improve energy efficiency, enhance environmental sustainability, and increase operational resilience for Grant PUD.
Improving the Value of Hydro Assets for Turlock Irrigation District by Battery Hybrid
The Turlock Irrigation District in California will work with INL and Argonne to evaluate the feasibility and benefits of hybridizing its five hydropower units with batteries. The team will share its results with other organizations interested in hybridization investment decisions, filling an important knowledge gap for hydropower stakeholders.
Siting Study for Hybridization of the Central Valley Project
The Northern California Power Agency (NCPA) will work with INL, Argonne, and NREL to evaluate whether to hybridize its existing hydropower plants. The team will use the HydroBoost tool to compare different sites and determine which location would be best for a hydro facility hybridized with battery storage. Because NCPA’s Central Valley Project services predominately disadvantaged communities, improving the capacity and flexibility of hydropower plants through hybridization is also expected to have positive impacts to environmental justice goals such as reducing pollution from natural gas plants.
Under this topic area, industry partners will receive technical assistance from national laboratories focused on evaluating current or prospective PSH projects.
Balancing Energy and Reliability with Craig-Hayden PSH
In this project, rPlus will work with NREL and ORNL to assess the operational and grid stability value of a proposed PSH facility between the towns of Craig and Hayden in Colorado. The team will demonstrate how integrating the Pumped Storage Hydro Valuation Tool with NREL’s open-source, production cost modeling package and advanced stability modeling can result in rigorous valuations of potential PSH facilities. This project would provide the hydropower industry with a real-world example of PSH valuation.
Developing a Revenue Model for Long-Duration Energy Storage
The National Hydropower Association will work with Argonne and ORNL to analyze the value of PSH and its services in different regions and electricity markets in the United States. The team will use the Pumped Storage Hydro Valuation Tool and other computer models to determine the potential revenue of technical and operational hydropower practices to support use cases of long-duration energy storage.This was an empty link: Proper valuation of PSH and long-duration energy storage will improve business models for the development of future PSH projects, which can help integrate more renewable resources into the grid.
Marine Pumped Hydroelectric Energy Storage: Concept Design and Use-Case Analysis of Hybrid Offshore Wind/Storage Power Plants
RCAM Technologies will work with Argonne, PNNL, and NREL to evaluate the feasibility of combining marine pumped hydroelectric (MPH) technology with offshore wind under future grid and policy scenarios and lay the foundation for a grid-connected pilot demonstration. MPH is a PSH technology that functions by cycling water in and out of large concrete spheres on the seafloor to release and store energy on demand. The project could create additional future deployment opportunities for PSH in the ocean along major U.S. coastal cities.
PSH Solutions for the Hawaiian Islands
The Hawai‘i State Energy Office will receive technical assistance from NREL and PNNL in using the Pumped Storage Hydro Valuation Tool to evaluate the financial viability of PSH at four sites on publicly owned land across O‘ahu, Maui, Moloka‘i, and Hawai‘i Island. The project will determine the feasibility of PSH under multiple future grid and policy scenarios and identify potential economic development and grid benefits across the state of Hawai’i.
Technoeconomic Studies for PSH at the Twentymile Mine Site
Rye Development will work with PNNL to evaluate the commercial opportunities for PSH at the Twentymile coal mining site in Colorado. This project will evaluate the benefits of using repurposed mine sites for PSH development and provide information that Rye Development could apply to additional PSH opportunities at mine sites across the United States.
Technoeconomic Studies of Paired PSH with Offshore Wind Located Off the Southern Oregon Coast
Rye Development will work with Argonne, PNNL, and INL to conduct a power market study and grid stability analysis of two proposed PSH sites in Southwest Oregon paired with utility-scale offshore wind developments. This project will model PSH’s benefits to offshore wind from generation and transmission perspectives and advance commercial opportunities for pairing PSH and offshore wind in the United States.
The Oceanus Integrated PSH and Desalination Plant
Oceanus will work with Argonne, ORNL, and PNNL on a technoeconomic analysis of its Integrated Pumped Hydro Reverse Osmosis Clean Energy System (IPHROCES). IPHROCES is a novel technology that combines a seawater PSH plant with a reverse-osmosis desalination plant to provide an integrated energy storage and fresh-water supply system. Adding a desalination process to a PSH plant creates additional revenue streams, thus increasing the value of future PSH development.
This topic area focuses on improving power system studies to support hydropower operation and planning.
Mitigation of Modeling Gaps
PNNL—in partnership with NREL, INL, V&R Energy, and the Western Electricity Coordinating Council—previously developed a database known as the Hydrogeneration Analysis Software Platform, which combined hydrologic and electrical models for a more accurate power system model. In this project, the team will extend the platform to more states from the Eastern Interconnection grid and develop a new model of hydro turbine governors, which help control a facility’s turbines. This will help to mitigate current hydropower modeling gaps regarding water availability, environmental constraints, data issues, and other topics. The team also intends to assess the impact of extreme climate events. Fixing gaps in hydropower models can lead to more accurate evaluations of hydropower’s value and help improve reliability and resilience of the grid.
This topic area focuses on comprehensive, national-scale modeling efforts that capture the unique benefits of hydropower for grid strength, particularly as the power system evolves to include higher shares of resources such as wind and solar that might be less resilient to grid disturbances.
Hydropower Contributions to Grid Strength and Stability in an Inverter-Based, Resource-Dominated Grid
NREL, INL, PNNL, and ORNL will develop a method for analyzing hydropower stability on the grid. The team will develop and validate metrics to improve grid strength assessments that can become industry-standard criteria.
This topic area focuses on projects performed in collaboration with Norwegian researchers and/or partners that are aligned with the HydroWIRES research roadmap.
Grid Oscillations and Dynamics Assessment Considering Hydro Generation and High Penetration of Inverter-Based Resources
PNNL will work with the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, University of Agder, Electric Power Research Institute, and IEEE Power and Energy Society to analyze how grid behaviors can change under different weather conditions and electricity generation sources and determine monitoring and control strategies with the goal of maintaining grid stability. The insights learned from this study will benefit U.S. researchers and grid operators and encourage collaboration across the hydropower industry.
This topic area focuses on new ideas not captured in the existing HydroWIRES portfolio.
Enhance Hydropower Values with Power Purchase Agreements
Argonne will work with PNNL, Rye Development, and rPlus Hydro to address the current limitations of long-term utility contracts. The team will investigate the feasibility of new contract types, including hybrid contracts that combine hydropower with other renewable energy, and develop a quantitative tool for stakeholders to design future contracts. This project aims to help establish future contracting standards and provide increased and stable revenue for new and existing hydropower projects.
HydroCHiPPs: Coupler-Compliant High-Performance Pliers for Water-Production Cost Model Dynamical Coupling
In this project, ORNL will work with Argonne, Cornell University, and Brookfield Renewable U.S. to develop models that capture two-way feedback between reservoir operations and the power grid. These models will help hydropower operators schedule generation more efficiently and optimally, leading to enhanced grid flexibility and reliability.
This topic area focuses on new research projects addressing extreme weather and climate events and their effects on hydropower infrastructure, operation, and planning.
Coincident Climate and Hydropower Extremes Dataset
Argonne and PNNL will work with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Electric Power Research Institute to incorporate major meteorologic datasets into hydropower-relevant datasets. This work will pair watershed information with wind, available solar-generated electricity, temperature, and precipitation data to better characterize extreme weather events. This project will enable a first-of-its-kind extreme events database that can inform the operation of facilities across the power sector. It will be accessible to stakeholders and the public through an artificial intelligence-generative chat and visualization gateway.
Enable Storm Typing-Based Precipitation Frequency Analysis in a Changing Climate
ORNL will work with RTI to create a framework to assess storm types and precipitation frequency over time. This information will offer an assessment of and help enable mitigation of climate change impacts on hydropower infrastructures.
Impact-Informed Dam Safety Risk Assessment for Climate Change-Enhanced Floods
ORNL will work with the Electric Power Research Institute on a rapid dam safety risk assessment for climate change-driven floods. The assessment will inform financial assurance requirements, relicensing, and decision-making for hydropower stakeholders, particularly those who lack the resources to conduct comprehensive assessments, to address critical infrastructure issues related to flooding.
This topic area focuses on projects that accelerate the transition to smart maintenance methodologies at existing hydropower facilities through programmatic assistance to hydropower asset owners and operators.
A Transfer Learning Framework to Predict Degradation in Heterogenous Hydro Fleets: Collective Learning Across Different Sites, Operating Regimes, Designs, and Original Equipment Manufacturers
Argonne will work with NREL, Wayne State University, Ontario Power Generation, the Hydropower Research Institute, and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation on an open-source asset management tool. The tool will provide an autonomous degradation prediction model for hydropower thrust bearings, which will help to reduce operation and maintenance costs and improve system reliability and be more environmentally friendly. This data-driven approach will be transferable to other hydropower components.
This topic area focuses on “quick win” collaborative projects that solve targeted challenges in federal hydropower facilities.
Environmentally Acceptable Lubricants Technical Feasibility
Hydropower facilities can contain 50,000 gallons of mineral-based turbine oil for use as a lubricant. Using environmentally acceptable lubricants ensures that turbine oil is biodegradable and nontoxic and has a limited effect on the environment. In this project, PNNL, Argonne, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will take oil samples from 75 hydropower facilities and artificially age the samples. The team will identify methods for aging and testing environmentally acceptable lubricants at lab scale, which will help reduce risks for industry adoption.
Self-Lubricating Bushing Testing for Large Kaplan Turbines with Oil-Free Hub
Bushings are metal cylinders that allow turbine shafts to spin. In this project, PNNL will work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to develop a comprehensive workflow for its previously designed self-lubricating bushings testbed. The workflow will include test design, data collection and processing, and performance analysis. That data will then be shared, and the testbed made publicly available to the hydropower industry.
Spatiotemporal Patterns in Growth and Detachment of Aquatic Vegetation in Tennessee Valley Authority Mainstem Reservoirs
Growth of aquatic vegetation can clog hydropower intakes and have large impacts on energy generation. In this project, ORNL will work with the Tennessee Valley Authority to review and document excessive growth of aquatic vegetation in hydropower reservoirs. The team will analyze literature on the ecology of vegetation and use historical satellite-based remote sensing data to analyze its long-term distribution. Understanding what causes and how to mitigate aquatic vegetation has enormous impacts on the reliability of hydropower facilities.
Supporting U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Assessment of Invasive Mussel Biofouling on Fish and Thermal Barrier Materials in the Glen Canyon Forebay
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is studying the accumulation of invasive mussels and its impacts on fish and thermal barriers in Lake Powell. Thermal barriers are used to choose the depth and temperature of water allowed to enter a hydropower turbine. In this project, PNNL will prepare anti-biofouling coatings to minimize the impact of accumulating organisms on the fish and thermal barrier at Glen Canyon Dam. Successful deployment of this system could help avoid as much as $80 million in lost hydropower production and improve environmental outcomes for endangered species such as the humpback chub.
New Marine Energy Projects at the National Laboratories
Six new projects at three national laboratories — NREL, PNNL, and Sandia National Laboratories (Sandia) — will further marine research and development.
This topic area supports the development of experimental and numerical models that measure and predict device performance, which can help design and optimize the next generation of marine energy technologies and lower costs.
SEA-Stack: Simulation and Engineering Analysis Code Stack for WEC Numerical Modeling
Current WEC simulation and evaluation software has limited modeling capabilities. In this project, NREL will develop an open-source WEC numerical modeling framework, known as SEA-Stack, that will support developers throughout the design process by integrating low-, mid-, and high-fidelity simulation tools together to more quickly and accurately analyze WEC models. This project will help promote and accelerate the development of more efficient and robust WEC technologies.
This topic area supports early-stage development and testing of CEC models as well as the creation of open-source modeling for the maritime market portfolio.
Axial- and Cross-Flow Underwater Advanced Realization of Elastic Unsteady Simulations
In this project, NREL and Sandia will develop and verify open-source CEC modeling tools to improve representation of marine environments. This project will reduce costs and lower risks on CEC deployments by improving simulation accuracy of deployed turbines, ultimately contributing to the commercial success and sustainability of marine energy technologies.
This topic area supports new ideas not captured in other topics that further WPTO’s goals.
Line Testing Facility Development
Mooring lines secure marine energy devices in place, and umbilical cables transfer information from devices during deployments. Currently, few facilities exist in the world to test these lines and cables. Sandia will design and build an advanced testing facility to validate the performance of mooring lines and umbilical cables. This project will help de-risk deployments and improve designs and reduce costs for marine energy devices.
Models for Hybrid Offshore Renewable Energy-Powered Electrochemical Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal and Measurement, Reporting, and Validation
To help assist in the planning of hybrid renewable energy-powered marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) pilot plants, NREL will work with PNNL to create tools that include models of the three types of electrochemical mCDR powered by wave, tidal, wind, and solar energy. This project will focus on how these plants can use hybrid offshore energy, their monitoring needs, and how small WECs can power those monitoring needs. The modeling tools will inform the deployments of marine energy for mCDR measurement, monitoring, reporting, and verification in the near term and marine energy-powered mCDR pilots and deployments in the longer term, helping to advance the feasibility of large-scale mCDR while opening a new market for marine energy.
Mechanical Load Measurement Analysis, Tools, and Demonstration for International Electrotechnical Commission 62600-3
Sandia will develop, demonstrate, and disseminate mechanical load case measurement methods and data analysis tools based on novel fiber optic strain measurement techniques. The information will allow marine energy developers to determine new measurements of mechanical loads on turbine blades following the International Electrotechnical Commission marine energy standard.
Marine Energy-Powered Enhanced Resiliency System
NREL will develop an enhanced resiliency system (ERS) focused on integrating marine energy converters to provide several high-value products to remote and underserved communities, including local water treatment, ammonia production, and oxygen for generating new products for the blue economy. The ERS will simultaneously provide a long-duration energy storage solution for variable renewable energy resources. This project will help improve community resiliency and validate and de-risk marine energy integration into the broader energy system.
Marine Energy Sapling Projects at the National Laboratories
WPTO selected six “Sapling” projects through its Seedlings and Saplings program, which encourages and supports new and innovative research ideas at DOE’s national laboratories. Most projects started as “Seedlings” and received up to $100,000. They have now been selected to become “Saplings” and will receive additional funding of $200,000 to $400,000. These projects were funded through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
Powering the Woods Hole X-Spar Buoy with Marine Renewable Energy
The X-Spar is a tall, thin, free-drifting buoy with sensors for measuring temperature, humidity, pressure, and other variables to better understand the flow of moisture, heat, and gases like carbon dioxide between the atmosphere and ocean. In this project, Sandia will improve the X-Spar by creating a deployable prototype capable of converting ocean waves into electricity that can power equipment on the buoy. This additional electrical power could dramatically improve X-Spar’s scientific data collection and mission duration, enabling better understanding and predictions of changes in the Earth’s energy, carbon, and water cycles.
Automatic Generation of WECs Equations of Motion for Control, Optimization, Modeling, and Monitoring Applications
Equations of motion (EOM) are a set of differential equations that define the motion of a system, such as its position, velocity, and acceleration while being subjected to forces like ocean waves. Deriving the analytical EOM of a WEC is often the first step needed for developing a control or design optimization algorithm. In this project, NREL will work with Sandia to create an open-source tool to automatically generate the EOM that can be integrated with existing software such as the Wave Energy Converter Design Optimization Toolbox, Wave Energy Converter SIMulator, and Response Amplitudes of Floating Turbines.
Load and Power Requirement Models for Marine Energy Technology Integration with Powering the Blue Economy Applications
In this project, NREL will continue to develop and validate open-source load and power requirement models for blue economy markets. This project will help inform marine energy converter designs for these markets and de-risk open water deployments.
WhaleOmics: A Multi-Omics Framework for Measuring Physiological Stress Response in Whales Around Marine Energy
PNNL will build a framework that enables regulators to identify acute stress in large whales as they move through areas impacted by marine energy development. The team will measure whale blubber samples from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Southwest Fisheries Science Center’s sample repository to provide baseline day-to-day stress profiles that can be compared to whale stress levels as marine energy converters are installed. This project will help reduce uncertainty of marine energy devices’ potential effects on marine mammals, informing regulatory decisions.
Online Monitoring of Mooring Lines
Mooring lines keep WECs in place and support energy harvesting but are prone to failure due to abrasion and fatigue. In this project, PNNL will work with Sandia to demonstrate how mooring lines with smart sensors can be used with a predictive online monitoring system to detect damage to mooring lines. This project aims to reduce WECs’ operation and maintenance costs by better predicting when mooring lines need to be inspected or repaired.
Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler Deployment Using a Low-Cost Autonomous Underwater Landing Vehicle
In this project, Sandia and Florida Atlantic University will upgrade an existing autonomous underwater landing vehicle technology that is used to deploy instruments that measure current velocities. The team will conduct open water testing to demonstrate a longer deployment of at least two weeks and further engage with customers and a potential partner, moving the technology closer to commercialization.
Funding for some projects is subject to congressional appropriations.
Stay in the know with WPTO! Receive the latest information on funding opportunities, events, and other news by subscribing to the Hydro Headlines and Water Column newsletters, as well as the comprehensive Water Wire newsletter.